Life is Beautiful
by Akemi Tsuki Hikari
Summary: Miu was lonely and bored. That's why she wished what she did. That's why she walked by the park on that fateful day. And that is exactly why she is in the mess she's in now... DarkXOCXKrad Story better than summary. I hate writing summaries. *sigh*
1. Wish

_Hey! Tsuki here with a somewhat brandnew story! It's a remake of my second fanfic from Quizilla (I deleted the first one from the face of the planet). On there, it was called **:::Choosing Between Darkness and Light:::** but on here, it is **Life is Beautiful**. In many ways, the idea is the same, but four years have passed and my writing has improved and darkened, so that's what this story has done, therefore completely changing the outcome!!! xDDD This story will be one story in itself and will have NO sequels. Because, when it's done, it will be tied together in a nice and neat little knot with, hopefully, no loose ends. xDDDDDD_

_Enjoy it! It's a product of procrastinating on **Dangerous and Moving** and **For The Heart I Once Had**. xDDDDD And, by the way, this was, sorta, an inspiration for Feel For You in an odd way. Some people see the similarities, some don't. xD I'll put in a bonus chapter in the end with all of the similar ideas and how it originally ended and all that jazz. xDDD_

_By the way, Yes, I am still grounded. (Going on Six Months starting in June! All because I failed a semester of one tiny class. And kept failing it... ^_^b Horrid isn't it?) And yes I am still risking my skin by posting my stories and watching Negima! and Soul EAter when I get home from school, but hey! It's totally worth it. BE HONORED THAT YOU PEOPLE AS MY READERS RANK UP THERE WITH WATCHING SOUL EATER AND NEGIMA!!!!! NOT EVERYONE GETS THAT KIND OF PRIVELEDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xDDDD_

_Cyber cookies and a cameo appearance for the first two (helpful) reviewers!!!! ^_^_

* * *

You can always wish upon a star, no matter who or what you are. And keep this in mind, if you make your wish at the right time, it will always come true…

_So be careful what you wish for…_

* * *

"I… I wish for a life that's anything but ordinary. A life full of excitement… And that I am of the center of it…" I held my breath as I watched the shooting star fade to black.

_Who am I kidding? My wish is never going to come true. They never do._ I lied down onto the rooftop of my house and stared at the moon. It was the second completely full moon of the month. The blue moon.

I lied there, watching the sky, for what seemed to be hours, but could have been minutes, before I climbed back through the window and into my room. My room was the attic of the house. The bed was king-sized with a black wooden frame. The comforter was black and the sheets were white with gold trimming, as were some of the pillows. The rest of the pillows were black or violet. My carpet was black and my walls were painted a sort of freshly dried blood red. I had a small TV and a stereo as well. On the other wall, there was my piano (no clue how _that_ got into the attic) and my violin. I sighed and collapsed on my bed, wishing for sleep to just come quickly.

Tomorrow would be my first day of school at Azumano High. It would be an understatement to say I was dreading it…

"Miu Kasumi?" I absently raised my hand, hating this class already. She checked me off of her list. "Daisuke Niwa?" The spiky haired red head sitting beside me raised his hand. She checked him off too. "Satoshi Hiwatari?" No one raised their hand. "Well, then I guess I'll put him in the empty seat next to Kasumi-San." All of the girls simultaneously groaned, spouting off comments such as but not limited to "Why can't he be next to me?", "Why her?", and my personal favorite "But I know him best! He should be next to me!" The rest of the day, hoards of girls gossiped about me. How jealous they were of me. Some even approached me and told me how lucky I was to have Hiwatari-Kun sitting next to me. Each and every time I rolled my eyes and told them the same thing. "I'm never lucky."


	2. First Encounter!

On my way home from school, I decided to take a shortcut past the park. Well, alright, it was a detour, but, in my defense, I felt like walking past the park. All was peaceful until my ears picked up on shouting. It was hard to understand. I became curious and hid behind a tree and watched. There were two men. Teenagers rather. One with spiky purple hair that had a very J-rock fashion about it. The other had very long blond hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. His bangs were let loose and hung in his face. There was a cross attached to the bottom of his pony-tail. They looked like they were about to erupt into a fight. Oddly enough, they had wings. The blonde had white wings and the other had black wings. Apparently Black wings said something to piss off white wings.

White wings conjured some kind of magic and flung it at Black wings. Black wings took flight and retreated. _This is totally not normal…_ I shifted slightly, because my foot was falling asleep, and a leaf cracked. I froze. White wings, who was just about to follow Black wings, turned towards my tree. I continued to hide, praying he would go away. My prayers weren't answered. White wings walked around the tree and smirked. "What are you doing out here?" He made it sound like he was genuinely concerned. "Its dangerous to be outside. Especially when I am around." He chuckled. "Wh- Who are you?" I inquired both curious yet frightened at the same time. "I am Krad, but you needn't not remember my name."

Before I could move, he wrapped his hand around my neck and picked me up, his hand glowing gold. Not only could I not breathe, but I felt my energy being drained from me. I couldn't even fight back. "Krad!" Someone shouted. I recognized the voice as Black Wings. Krad dropped me and I fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, not having the energy to catch myself. I gasped for breath. My lungs burned at the sudden oxygen intake and my ribs throbbed. Krad and Black Wings fought for I don't know how long. Suddenly, Krad flew away.

"Hey?" The voice sounded as if it were echoing. I hurt all over. I felt like I should be dead. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?" I tried my best to say something, but all that came out was an airy squeak. He chuckled. I glared at him and tried again. "Y- Yeah… I'm fine…" I was obviously lying. My head throbbed, my body hurt, and my mind was foggy. "That's good, but I know one things for sure. You aren't in any condition to walk home." Then he picked me up. "I'll just fly you home. Let me know when you see your house." He smiled at me. I nodded uneasily. "What's your name?" I asked him. He smiled again. "Phantom Thief Kaitou Dark at your service!" I just rolled my eyes. He sounded so sure of himself. Then he took flight. I held onto him as tight as I could without choking him or harming myself. I still felt drained, but I felt my energy coming back to me. "There it is. Right down there." He descended and set down on my roof. He put me down after he was sure I could stand.

"Alright. I told you my name, now you have to tell me your name." Then he winked. I laughed softly. "My name is Miu. Miu Kasumi. And thank you for saving me from Krad. I can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't shown up." Dark grinned. "It's no biggie. Now, I gotta get going. There's something I gotta do. I'll see you again. I promise." Then, he kissed me full on the lips, lingering there for only a second. He pulled away, winked again, and spread his wings. He leapt from my roof and flew away.


	3. Meeting Satoshi

I brought my fingers to my lips, feeling them tingle. _That was odd. Very Very odd…_ It was night now and I found myself, once again, gazing up and the moon and stars. Somewhere in the back of my mind, the idea that today's events had something to do with the wish I made came up. I just packed it up and classified it under the file in my brain called Blasphemy. I stood up, deciding it was about time I went inside. The mosquitoes were biting. I slipped through my little attic window and turned on a light, eliminating all darkness. Then my gaze fell on the piano.

Now, let me explain something. I love music. It is my heart, soul, and life. I play both the violin and the piano. Though, when I say I _play_ them, I mean I write my own music _and_ play them. My music is music that you have to listen to with your heart and soul. If you listen to it with your mind, you wouldn't understand it. You wouldn't _feel_ it.

I shook my head. I wasn't in the mood to play right now. I opened the door and went downstairs, into my kitchen. By now, you would have thought that I would be used to living on my own. I've lived alone for four years now. To tell you the truth, I haven't seen my parents since the day we moved here. They helped me move, and then ditched me. Every month, they send me a check to buy food, clothes, pay the bills, and other essentials for life. Now, I'm sure you think it would be paradise to live alone, without your parents nagging you. It's hell. While I live alone in Azumano, my parents live together with my brother and sister, who don't even know I exist I might add, in America. I was the unwanted child, ditched at the first opportunity. _At least I turned out better than some of the other unwanted children…_

I grabbed some uncooked rice from the cabinet and put it in the rice cooker with some water, plugging it in and setting the timer. Then, I went to the living room/dining room and flicked on the TV. There was something about Dark on the news. I quickly changed the channel. I channel flipped for a while, eating my rice at the same time, and was unsatisfied. Shutting off the TV, I plucked a book from my shelf and made sure my door was locked. Then I went upstairs and did a little reading. Then, I fell into a dreamless sleep…

I woke in a daze and went through my daily routine. Shower. Uniform. Rice for Breakfast. And finally, walk to school. I hadn't made it far from my little house before I ran into someone. It probably didn't help that I was still half asleep. "Holy Crap! I'm so sorry! Here! Let me help." I bent down to pick up his things. "It's fine. You don't have to…" His voice rang out, oddly monotone. "No! I insist." I stood up and handed his books to him. When I looked at him, my eyes met a pale face with two molten sapphire eyes, and cerulean hair. I immediately introduced myself. "I'm sorry. My name is Miu. Miu Kasumi." He bowed his head lightly. "Nice to meet you. My name is Satoshi Hiwatari." I cocked my head. "You sit next to me in first period. All the girls are so pissed about that. I can see why…" He nodded and walked away. _How odd. And rude!_

School was boring. But only if you consider sitting between Satoshi Hiwatari and Daisuke Niwa in just about every class boring that is… Whenever there was talk about Dark, Daisuke would get kinda tense, and sometimes Satoshi would space out and get a sort of irritated look on his face. At one point he just left class without explaining himself. Daisuke said that Satoshi could do that because he had already graduated college and that he was just attending High School again because he wanted a taste of normalcy. _I think this is going to be a very interesting year…_

After school, I walked home, alone like always. I took the same course as yesterday, I guess, hoping to run into Dark. I was really getting sick of being alone all the time and I was desperate for company. Then, it started pouring down rain. "Great! Just what I freaking needed!" I shouted. "And everyone thinks I'm lucky… I keep telling them I'm not lucky…" I mumbled, sitting on a curb, my face in my hands, not even attempting to avoid getting wet. And suddenly, the rain stopped falling on me, yet I could still hear it falling. Curious, I looked up. There was a black umbrella over my head. Then I looked at the person who was holding it over my head…


	4. A Name for the Pretty Face? WTF?

_Teehee..._

_BTW: ... Crap... Nevermind. I forgot... v^_^b (Thats a peace sign sweat drop double if you didn't notice...)_

* * *

I looked up and saw the molten sapphire eyes again. "Hiwatari-Kun?" I wiped the rain from my eyes. "What are you doing alone in the rain?" He asked. I shook my head. "I was walking home and it just started pouring down rain." He nodded. "Thank you." I stood up and walked out into the rain. "Kasumi-San." I turned around and saw that he was following me. I stopped and he handed me his umbrella. "You need it more than I do." I was shocked. "No! I can't take it!!!" Then, he did something that looked like a smile. "Then at least let me walk you home…" I nodded. So, Satoshi walked me home, both of us beneath the umbrella. "Do you live alone?" I chuckled. "What gave it away?"

He looked down. "We'll, the fact that your house looks a bit like mine. I also live alone. And there's also the fact that you never seem to speak about your parents. Where are they?" I shook my head. "I'd rather not talk about them…" He nodded, like he understood. Maybe he did… Then, he collapsed. "Not… Now…" He mumbled. "Not now? Hiwatari-Kun, are you alright?" I took a step towards him, but he pushed me away. He clutched at his chest and cried out in pain. "Run… Now…" He barked the order at me through clenched teeth. "Hiwatari-Kun!" I shouted. The rain felt like it was falling harder. White wings shot from his back. "No…" I shook my head and whispered. I started to back up…

Then, I found myself face to face with Krad. "So, we meet again. This time, I have a name for the pretty face, Miu." I ignored his last comment and tried to run away, but he caught my arm and pulled me back. I cursed under my breath. "You ignored Master Satoshi's warning. Now you have to deal with me." He smiled devilishly. I looked him in the eyes and laughed, startling myself at how cold it sounded. "What do you want with me? I'm nothing special. Just a waste of human life." I was shocked at my bravery. I always had been something of a coward. Krad unexpectedly pulled me close to him and whispered in my ear. "Trust me, you're more special than you think you are." I struggled to get away from the maniac in a man dress, but my attempts were futile. "Let go of me!!!" I shouted.

All Krad did was laugh and take flight. I guess he thought I wouldn't struggle three hundred feet above the ground. Boy was he ever wrong. I twisted. I turned. I wrenched in his grip. "Keep still you little-" I bit him. Hard. He gasped in pain and dropped me. "Ah hell." He mumbled and dove to catch me.

The feeling of falling. It's exhilarating. It's the most fun I've ever had, and yet it's the scariest thing ever. The wind was knocked out of me when Krad caught me. "Don't you dare try that little stunt again." He growled. I didn't try to break free again.

After about fifteen minutes of flight, Krad finally set down. The moment he released me, I took off sprinting at top speed. I had no idea where I was going, but I was pretty sure almost anywhere was better than being near Krad. "Dammit! Get back here you little pest!" Krad growled as he chased after me. I ran at top speed, knowing well it would be only a matter of time before I collapsed. "What do you want with me!?!?!" I yelled, very frustrated. I heard him laugh behind me. I pushed myself to run faster, only to find myself flying forwards from tripping over a rock that was sticking out of the ground. I sat up and say that my knee was bleeding profusely. "Curse my clumsiness!!!" I mumbled. By the time I was back up on my feet, Krad was already blocking me from running. "You know, by running you've only made this so much harder on yourself."

My eyes widened and I cried out in pain as he lazily lifted his hand. Not only was it the same feeling as before, that of my energy being drained from me, but it felt as if he were pouring molten lead into my veins. My legs buckled and I hit the ground hard, the majority of my weight landing on my bad knee. I gasped sharply at the pain. "You know, I was going to make your death painless, but this is so much more fun." He smirked. I screamed at the top of my lungs. Then I blacked out.


	5. With Dark

_About chapters 5, 6, and 7. I wrote these earlier this year (around the begining of summer prehaps. Maybe earlier), but I just kinda forgot about them because I started paying more attention to "For The Heart I Once Had". Sorry about that. I didn't know that this series was all that good. Truth be told (I may have stated this in the first chapter), this is basically a remake of my unfinished first fanfic on Quizilla. So if any of you ever read it (I doubt it), then that is the reason there are similarities between the two. I've been such a lazy author lately... -_-b And I can't blame it on school, since I haven't really written since July... Maybe when the weather cools down a bit..._

_One more thing! Read/watch Axis Powers Hetalia! It is really funny and great if you need a quick laugh. The episodes are only 5 minutes long! xDDD_

_~Tsuki Hikari_

* * *

I woke in my room. The light was on and Dark was leaning over me, looking quite concerned. "Good. You're awake. I was afraid Krad had done too much damage," he stated simply, sounding very much relieved.

"Wh- What happened? Why are you here? How did I get here…?" I paused a moment. "Oh God! Hiwatari-Kun! Is he alright? What happened?"

Dark shook his head. "You mean you aren't happy to see me?"

I groaned. "Shut up and answer my question!" I calmed myself.

"Com- Hiwatari-Kun had an asthma attack and you freaked out. You tripped on the curb when you went to get his inhaler out of his book bag. Now let me see your knee. I need to see how it is doing. I think you may have cracked your kneecap."

To test the theory Dark presented, I tried to bend my leg. I grimaced. "Awe, crap! I think you're right!" I pushed the blanket off of me and he held a hand over my knee and closed his eyes. I wrinkled my nose at how my knee looked.

It had already been bandaged, but I could see the bit of bruise poking through it. His palm glowed an indigo color and then the pain was gone.

"Incredible… How did you do that?"

Dark smiled. "Magic…"

I glanced over at the time. "4:30!!!! I can't believe it! I missed school?"

Dark laughed. "It's 4:30 in the morning, Miu-Chan." I sighed. "I didn't know you played piano…" Dark absently stated.

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah…" I grinned.

"Can I hear you play…?" He asked, somewhat hesitant.

"Yeah. I'll play for you…"

He grinned. "Good." Then he helped me out of bed and over to the piano. My knee was a bit stiff so having a shoulder to lean on was more than helpful. I sat down at the bench, and Dark sat down on my bed. He motioned to me to go ahead.

I smiled and warmed up the piano and my fingers by going through a few exercises. "This song isn't one of my own, but I still like it." I smiled at him and he nodded. Then, I began.

I played the intro and, when the time came, started to sing. In my opinion, my voice isn't all that, but I do enjoy to sing. Once again, music is my soul.

_She embraced, with a smile_

_As she opened the door._

_A cold wind blows, it puts a chill into her heart._

_You have taken away the trust,_

_you're the ghost haunting through her heart._

_Past and present are one in her head,_

_you're the ghost haunting through her heart._

_Take my hand as I wonder through,_

_All my life I gave to you._

_Take my hand as I wonder through,_

_All my love I gave to you._

_You have taken away the trust,_

_you're the ghost haunting through her heart._

_Take my hand as I wonder through,_

_All my life I gave to you._

_Take my hand as I wonder through,_

_All my love I gave to you._

I repeated the chorus and hoped Dark liked it.

"And this is another one that I like…" I picked up my violin and turned to face Dark, closing my eyes. I had adapted and even rewritten the score to this one a little bit so I could play it on the Violin. And, once again, when the time comes, I sang. And trust me, it's harder than it sounds to play the violin AND to sing at the same time.

_Winter has come for me, can't carry on._

_The chains to my life are strong but soon they'll be gone._

_I'll spread my wings one more time._

_Is it a dream?_

_All the ones I have loved calling out my name._

_The sun warms my face._

_All the days of my life, I see them passing me by._

_In my heart I know I can let go._

_In the end I will find some peace inside._

_New wings are growing tonight._

_Is it a dream?_

_All the ones I have loved calling out my name._

_The sun warms my face._

_All the days of my life, I see them passing me by._

_As I am soaring I'm one with the wind._

_I am longing to see you again, it's been so long._

_We will be together again._

_Is it a dream?_

_All the ones I have loved calling out my name._

_The sun warms my face._

_All the days of my life, I see them passing me by._

_Is it a dream?_

_All the ones I have loved calling out my name._

_The sun warms my face._

_All the days of my life, I see them passing me by._

I ended the song and opened my eyes, only to see (and hear) Dark applauding me. I smiled sheepishly. "May I hear one of your originals?" Dark asked.

I raise my eyebrows. "You really want to hear one of the songs I wrote?" He nodded and grinned. "Alright, but you have to promise me something. To listen not just with your ears, but with your heart. That way, you'll be able to completely understand the music." Dark nodded.

I picked up my violin again and played one of my most complex songs, slow and mournful at times and then suddenly picking up and speeding through a faster, more upbeat melody. I slowed it back down again ending it with the unfulfilled promise that more would come.

Then, I turned back to my piano. Because I finally began to feel tired, I played one of my more simple and quick songs. Dark once again applauded me. It made me smile to finally have an audience.

"Do you need help back?" Dark asked.

"No, I should be good, but thanks for offering." I smiled and stood up nearly like I would on normal occasions, and walked over to my bed, sitting down next to Dark.

We sat there in silence for a few moments. Then Dark broke the silence. "I should probably go. It's really early in the morning, and besides, even a phantom thief needs rest."

I nodded. "Yeah… Goodnight."

He grinned. "Hey, hold on. I may need to leave, but I'm not gonna leave until I tuck you in and kiss you goodnight."

I laughed and crawled into the bed, pulling the covers over me. Dark got up, turned out the light, and leaned over me, cupping my cheek in one hand and using the other to keep himself from falling on me. Then he kissed me. This one wasn't as chaste as the one prior to it. It was longer. Sweeter. This time I had time to kiss him back.

After a moment, he pulled away. "Goodnight." He breathed. Then he was gone. Magic or illusion, I'll never know.

I found myself unable to sleep, even though every part of me screamed out of sleep deprivation. I just lay there and stared at the ceiling. Something flashed. I blinked, confused. Another flash. Then another. Suddenly, they weren't just flashes. They were images, flashing too quick to make sense of. They started to slow down. It was like watching a movie.

A girl (myself) was running through the woods at top speed from something. No. Someone.

The girl screamed "What do you want with me!?!?!" I heard psychotic laughter. She ran faster, then tripped over a rock, a sickening crack echoing in my ears. Her knee was bloody. Then, Krad was in front of the girl. He would have looked almost angelic, with his white wings and all, if it weren't for the fact that he seemed to be laughing at the girl's pain.

She struggled to her feet. All he did was life a hand and flick his fingers. She stiffened and cried out in pain.

After a few moments, she fell to her knees and collapsed, passing out.

Another flash and I was standing out in the rain with Satoshi. We were talking, about to part ways when Satoshi fell against the wall, then collapsed to the ground. He yelled at me to run, but I didn't. I tried to help him and he pushed me away. Then, wings grew from his back. He screamed in agony.

Subsequently, Krad was standing right in front of me.

I shut my eyes, hoping the images would stop. They did, but I could still hear Satoshi's screams.

Someone had erased my memory of what had taken place. Something told me it was Dark, attempting to protect me from the truth.

Somehow, I managed to drift into sleep.

My dreams were of Krad and Dark. We were in the park. They were really into their fight, throwing punches when they were close enough and feathers when they were further away. At some points, they would get daring and conjure up a large quantity of magic and fling it at the other, obviously using up far too much of their energy.

Suddenly, Dark looked over at me. To see if I was alright, I presume. Krad took his chance and struck Dark. His wings buckled beneath him and he hit the ground. Hard.

Krad landed in front of me and stroked my hair. Then he kissed me. I didn't struggle nor fight back, mainly because I was stunned. Surprisingly enough, I enjoyed the kiss. It took me a moment to realize I was kissing him back. I broke it.

He smirked. "I knew you would choose me over him…"


	6. Niwa Kun

I woke with a start, my alarm blaring loudly. I rolled over and groaned. My alarm continued to scream at me.

"Shut up!" I growled in to my pillow. It continued.

Out of nowhere, I flung my pillow at the nuisance, shocking myself at how fast the pillow flew through the air.

I dredged myself from my comforting shell and went to take a shower. _Man… That was a screwed up dream. Nightmare is more like it._ I got out and changed into my uniform, scowling at the length of the skirt for the hundredth time. On my way back to the bathroom, I spat in the trashcan in an attempt to get the vile taste out of my mouth.

"No breakfast today. No sir! No time!" I mumbled to no one. I brushed my teeth, grabbed my school crap, and then set out for school.

When I got to class, I was early. Today, however, was not normal. Daisuke was passed out at his desk and Satoshi was staring blankly out the window. Takeshi was attempting to wake the sleeping red head up. _Man that kid is violent…_ My initial reaction was to let sleeping dogs lie, but I wanted to try something. And this something was something I definitely could not resist.

"Hey Saehara-Kun, let me give it a try." I spoke out.

Takeshi spun to look at me. He stood there for a moment, then shrugged. "You can try, but he's out cold."

I nodded, somewhat grinning. I leaned over in my desk to where I was whispering distance of Daisuke's ear. "I know your secret, Niwa-Kun. You can't hide it from me."

The boy jolted awake, with a genuinely scared look on his face. "Wh- What!?! Kasumi-Chan! How did you find out!?!"

I grinned and looked him directly in the eyes. "I didn't. I just needed a way to wake you up and that was the first thing to pop into my mind." He fell back into his seat and groaned, cupping his head in his hands. I laughed.

After class, Daisuke approached me. "Do you really know my secret?" He asked. The look on his face showed that he was truly serious.

"Nope! Not a clue! However, now I know that you have a really big secret that you don't want anyone knowing. You gay or something?" I grinned as he exploded in a fit of hysteria.

"You think I'm gay?" He laughed. "I'm sorry, but I'm probably the least gay kid here at this school. I'm with Riku Harada."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh really? What about your little man-crush on Hiwatari-Kun."

He laughed again. "Hiwatari-Kun and I are just really good friends is all."

I nodded and grinned. It was fun playing with Daisuke's head. "Got another question. Why were you sleeping in class this morning?"

He froze. "W- w- well, I was up late helping my mom out. She was cleaning and needed lots of help!"

I cocked an eyebrow again. "You sure about that?"

He nodded. "Positive."

Smirking. "Alright. I believe you." I lied.


	7. Parents

"Junk. Junk. Junk. Junk." I mumbled, tossing one envelope after another into the waste bin. Finally, I found what I wanted. The rent and food money from my parents. However, when I opened it, there was a letter with the check. Suspicion rose in me, but I quelled it immediately. I warily opened it. My good mood faltered.

Miu. We are coming down to pay you a visit and see how you have progressed since we last saw you. We will be there next Saturday. No exceptions. Hope you don't mind, but there are some things we need to discus.

Sincerely,

Akemi and Ryu

I groaned loudly. _What do they want from me? Whatever it is, it cannot be good._ I picked up a pencil and a paper from the bar of the table and began writing.

Akemi, Ryu. Now isn't the best time to visit. Then again, there will never be a good time to visit. Whatever you need to discus with me, we can chat about over the phone. You got that? I hope you understand.

Without love,

Miu

I folded the paper and shoved it into an envelope, pre-addressed and stamped. I shoved it into the mail box. It would be a while before it got to it's destination, but I didn't care. Actually, I didn't really care about much anymore. _You care about Dark…_ My inner voice told me. I ignored it. I didn't want my parents anywhere near my house. Ever. I paced for a few minutes before I went upstairs and took a lengthy hot bath. It calmed me, but not nearly enough. I still had a lot of energy to burn. I dressed in casual clothes, pulled my hair back, leaving my two front strands out, and left, not even bothering to lock the door.

I walked out by the fountain. I stood up on the second to top rail of the safety block and balanced myself before I stood up. I closed my eyes and just stood there, contemplating on jumping. Jumping would be an interesting way to go. Down, into the ocean. To die by the hands of something I love…

"That's dangerous, you know. You could slip." The voice startled me, but not enough to cause me to lose my balance. I stepped down and looked at Dark.

"You seem tense." He said and took a step towards me. I faked a smile. He had no idea how close I had just come to jumping from that lovely little safety rail

"My parents want to visit me. As far as I'm concerned, they can rot in hell. They never cared about me before, so why should they now? I'm not letting them come anywhere near me." I diverted my eyes from Dark's concerned ones and stared out at the black mirror known as the ocean.

The moon was waning. The stars seemed dimmer. We stood there in silence for a few more minutes, the only sound that filled the unnerving silence was the sounds of the waves. I sighed and turned to face Dark.

"Dark, I-" His lips firmly pressed against mine. My eyes widened, but then I kissed him back. His arm snaked its way around my waist. My arms wrapped themselves around the back of his neck. Then, he broke the kiss.

"Miu, there is something I- no we would like to tell you…"

I cocked my head. "We?" Dark closed his eyes, and then spoke. He explained about the Hikari artworks and about him and Krad. He spoke of the tamer concept and of Satoshi and Daisuke. The whole thing took my breath away, but, then again, another part of me knew it all was true.

"That explains a lot." I mumbled. "Either way, I don't care, Dark. I still love you anyway, and I still want to be Daisuke's friend." He smiled.

"I knew you would understand." I hugged him. "Are you stealing tomorrow?" He broke the embrace.

"Yeah, why? You wanna come?"

I grinned. "No reason, and I do now."

He laughed. Then Dark lifted the violet strand of my hair. "You know, your hair is very strange. Pitch black with violet and blond streaks. Is this natural?" I giggled.

"As natural as the skin on my body and the freckles on my arms. Believe it or not, I was born with it. Freaked out all the kids at school. The administrators tried to kick me out a number of times." I smiled.

"Is that a smile I see on your face?"

I grinned. "You must be hallucinating. I'm not smiling." I responded, sarcastically. Dark laughed again and I looked at the time. "Ah crud! Time flies by! I need to go home." I turned around to start walking home, but Dark grabbed me around the waist and took off.

"Allow me to give you a lift." I rolled my eyes at the pun.

Dark set me down on my roof. "Do you want to come in?" I offered awkwardly. He nodded. We both climbed through my window. Once again, he tucked me in and kissed me on the forehead.

"Hey, if it's ok with Daisuke, do you think you could stay with me? At least until I fall asleep?" I blushed. He smiled softly.

"Sure. And he's fine with it, as long as I behave myself." I laughed tiredly.

"I know you will." Dark kicked off his shoes and slung his legs up onto my bed and I curled up next to him. He took turns stroking my hair and caressing my face, telling me stories about his past until I fell into the oblivion of sleep.


	8. Fall

_Oy! I would like to give thanks to my new Beta for this story: Your Blackened Wings and my WMP, because it actually spat out songs that matched the occasion for once. xDDDD Anyway, that's about all I have to say. Enjoy!_

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The next morning, I woke with a one of the brightest smiles that I had smiled in a very long time. It disappeared rather quickly when I found that Dark wasn't beside me anymore in my lonely bed. I sighed, knowing it had been rather foolish of me to hope he would still be here beside me when I woke up from my slumber, but a girl could hope, right? Not this girl apparently. I blinked the crust out of my eyes and sluggishly went about my daily ritual of getting dressed and heading out of my house. My sole thought was the fact that I was going to surprise Dark by going to watch him steal tonight.

That morning, I got to school earlier than usual. I wasn't surprised when I walked into class and found that the few people who had arrived were huddled in a corner, chatting it up about different things that probably had nothing what-so ever with school . Then the annoying nuisance, Takeshi spotted me. Instinctively, I threw up my hands to create a barrier that would block my face because, knowing Takeshi, he would either blind me with his camera, tackle me, or worse… both…

"Yo Miu! So you and the Phantom Thief got it going on!" My eyes widened. I was stunned. How could he possibly know about last night…?

I hardened my voice. "What are you rambling about, Saehara?" He swung his arm around my shoulders causally like we had known each for years instead of just a short time.

"I saw you two totally making ou-" Before he could finish that sentence, I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, applying the slightest bit of upward force. He cried out a little like a skinned puppy.

"You're delusional." I growled lowly, narrowing my eyes. Everyone was looking at me. Risa Harada, Riku Harada, and several other girls in my class, plus even a few of the guys in our class was watching me twisting Takeshi's arm behind his back.

"Are you going to hold him like that all day, or ease his pain by releasing him?" Satoshi asked from behind me, cocking an eyebrow at Takeshi's twisted arm.

"Don't mess with me." I growled at Takeshi and released him. As I walked past Satoshi, I mumbled, just barely loud enough for him to hear: "I remember everything now. I acknowledge that it isn't your fault. It's _his_." I glanced back at him just in time to see his normally sapphire eyes flash an icy blue. The rest of the day was uneventful of course, like always. And Dark's Tamer, Daisuke, never even showed up once to school that entire day with his cheery face and happy-go-lucky attitude…

It was a fairly easy task, getting past the guards. All they were doing was watching the sky. They didn't even bother with the ground. And the security system sucked. I mean, the locks were like those on a diary and the traps were obvious. The thing that got me was that all of this came to me almost naturally, and deep down that sort of frightened me…

I allowed myself to clear my thoughts as I scrambled up the stairs, to reach the roof. I pushed the door open quietly and stopped dead in my tracks. Dark was kissing Risa. I didn't know who to be more upset with. Dark or myself for being a brainless fool - Karma was such a terrible being…White rage began to bubble up in me. I watched as Dark broke the kiss, stroked her cheek, and smiled a dazzling smile that even made my heart flutter with the distance between us. The smile was like the ones he gave me. Before I knew it, I was speaking. The words that came out of my mouth were automatic. Like it wasn't even me who was speaking. But I knew it was, because the words were the exact thoughts I was thinking.

"Aah. Now I see how it is. She's your girl. I'm a pawn. You did nothing but play me the whole damned time!" I shrieked, choking back hot tears. Instead of crying all those hot tears that threatened to boil over, I twitched and wringed my hands quietly at my sides and focused all of my boiling rage on rage on Dark and Dark alone.

"All you were doing was toying with me! Screwing around with my emotions! When you were with me… I felt happiness for the first time in a long time… You made me believe I had a reason to live! Then you go and… and… and…" The lump that formed in my throat got bigger, and I felt that if I said anything more, the tears would fall. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't show weakness in front of him…

Dark took a small step towards me.

"That's not true…." He whispered. I shook my head slowly.

"Mr. Dark! Wh-" Dark cut her off.

"Leave, Risa." His voice was molten ice.

"But Mr. Dar-" He cut her off again.

"Risa! I told you to leave!" He raised his voice at her. This was the first time I had seen him like this, but it felt so familiar. He appeared to be in so much pain, like he was tearing himself apart on the inside. Risa shook her head, teary eyed, and ran passed me and out the door.

Aimlessly, I walked over to the edge of the four story building's roof and looked down.

"You know, I don't think anyone would really care if I fell off this roof and died. My parents despise me. I have no friends or allies to speak of. I have no reason to live. No purpose. All I do. All I've ever done is take up the needed air and space of others..." I glanced back at Dark. The wind blew, tousling my hair and the first tear – and maybe one of my last – slid painfully down my cheek. I turned to face him, my heels hanging slightly over the edge.

"You're wrong, Miu. You DO have a reason to live, and, like everyone else, you have a purpose. Whether you know what it is or not. God… Please… I love you…"

I did my best to ignore Dark's words, even though they raced through my head at lightning speed. They weren't true, maybe to him they were, but not to me. After seeing him with Risa, nothing he could do could possibly change my thoughts now. I looked up at Dark and locked my eyes with his for perhaps the last time in my life.

"Goodbye Dark… Please… Never forget me…" I whispered, barely loud enough for my own ears to hear over the roaring wind. I could tell from the look on Dark's face that he had heard me. Before he could react, I let myself fall backwards.

"Miu!!!" Dark shouted. He was at the ledge now, and I realized he was going to be the last thing I would ever see. The wind tore at me mercilessly as I fell, like it was laughing at me for believing that Dark wanted me to live. A cold fact hit me harder than the wind: I was going to die, and yet I still couldn't bring myself to cry…It was for the best. I slowly shut my eyes and waited for the impact of the cold ground to hit me, for death's cold grasp to wash over me. Oddly it never came.

My eyes snapped open when something collided hard with my back, I could feel a rib shatter with the collision. My vision faded and I blacked out…


End file.
